Forbes.com Boosts Results by 1,537 Percent With Email Marketing Campaign

Business Wire, March 29, 2007

Email Service Provider Silverpop Powers Campaign

ATLANTA -- If there's any doubt about the power of a well-timed, personalized email campaign to support multi-channel marketing efforts, recent results from Forbes.com and Hewlett-Packard's program to promote a joint, online Business Learning Center should put them to rest.

Developed to provide valuable online content to members in order to drive brand loyalty and e-commerce revenues, the Business Learning Center (www.buscourses.com) offers courses, white papers, how-to guides and tech tips designed to strengthen users' skills in such areas as small business management, personal finance and technology.

Following the launch of the program, Forbes.com implemented a comprehensive email marketing campaign powered by Silverpop. The goals of the campaign were to increase Web site registrations, enhance affinity for both brands and fuel merchandising opportunities.

Forbes.com sent two emails - the first was a dedicated email to existing Forbes.com members and others inviting them to explore the Business Learning Center. Those registering received an enrollment confirmation email providing a personalized welcome message, links to detailed course descriptions, enrollment procedures and FAQ. Then, those who enrolled were sent an additional email offering them the chance to enter a sweepstakes to win HP notebooks, pocket PCs and laser printers.

The results were phenomenal. Following the second email, course enrollments increased by 1,537 percent. Upon completing a Learning Center course, students receive a survey to help improve course offerings and gather feedback regarding satisfaction levels. Ninety-percent of survey respondents said they would enroll in future courses, while 84 percent would recommend the Business Learning Center to a friend. Financially, the returns are just as exciting with 23 percent of survey respondents reporting a recent HP purchase, and 50 percent saying they were more likely to make a purchase following their Business Learning Center course.

"Email allowed us to target prospects and reach out to them on a one-to-one basis which enhanced and boosted other marketing efforts," explained Bruce Rogers, Forbes.com vice president of marketing.

"Silverpop's intuitive application, robust reporting tools, and flexible management abilities allow Forbes.com to efficiently manage all list sources and ensure proper list suppression to decrease bounce rates and improve deliverability. These are important features for marketers as a recent JupiterResearch study indicates 59 percent of marketers are most concerned with application usability," said Elaine O'Gorman, Silverpop vice president of strategy. "By providing a solution that is as easy to use as it is powerful, Silverpop eases marketers ability to reach customers with highly personalized and targeted email messages."

About Silverpop

Silverpop is a leading provider of permission-based email marketing solutions, strategy and services, with offices throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom. For the last three years in a row, Silverpop has been given one of the highest scores in its category in JupiterResearch's annual analysis of ESPs. In fact, Silverpop is the only company that has consistently appeared as one of the top five enterprise-oriented ESPs each of the last four years.

Silverpop helps marketers cultivate and maintain long-term strategic relationships with customers and partners by maximizing the potential of email as a relationship tool. Its flexible service model allows marketers to choose from full service or ASP and easily move between the two, making it an ideal solution for any stage of an email program. Silverpop provides email marketing to industry leading companies including Fossil, The Bombay Company, British Sky Broadcasting, Weather.com and more. Best practices and white papers are available at www.silverpop.com.